Not sure where to start...what happened tonight (10/30/21) was terrible. Towards the end of our dinner we could hear arguing and profanity coming from the kitchen. As we were leaving there was a physical altercation between an adult kitchen staff member and a teenage waiter, in front of the building! We were told not to worry because this happens on occasion. We have been going to Nello's for over 20 years and in the last few years we have noticed the service and food have declined. We continue to go there because it's nostalgic for our family and we want to support our local businesses. This will happen no longer. Jim (owner) you need to get it together! Never should your team members get physical with each other especially in front of your customers. To hear you have been allowing this behavior is a shame. If you don't have the balls to fire them then hire someone who does. Maybe you need to hire some women instead of only men! So disappointing. read more

Nello's Place - Chicken parmigiana - Italian Near Me - Redding, California

Food was just okay, salad was wet, really wet, overpowering the green, the mid course looks like a puke, tasted just okay but at least house made the pasta sauce and cheese, my gf think tasted okay but i think its below average. Main course, she order mushroom sautéd scollops which they cut half of the each one scallop and made it seems like a good amount, the mushroom was very buttery and oily which isn't professionally cooked, my mother can make it better and i can too, they dont make their own desserts which is a bummer, when our main course came to us, looks like someone went to a buffet and put food on the plate for us, cost $152 total without adding the tips, and they have a tradition that each lady will get a rose after dinning, but my gf didn't get one, also there's a tall skinny guy with yellow short hair, very annoying, trying to make jokes with many employees in the middle of the restaurant and he's loud, must be a relative from the owner or manager. Our waiter Taylor was great, answered our questions and nice guy to talk to, honest about the whats made in house and whats not. If you price your food higher price, then please make your own pasta but they dont make their own pastas and many thing just from Cisco, very disappointing. Good part is at the end, espresso and Taylor our waiter who works there since high school. read more

Driving thru town stopped for a great meal. Chicken Cacciatore was excellent...green salad tossed at the table perfectly dressed. I would highly recommend! read more

So good. Food is spectacular and the service was great. Our kids ate amazingly well, including a 4YO finishing a big blue cheese salad. We had table side ceasar salad, steak Diane and veal. Everything was so good. read more

Absolutely a 5 star restaurant! My husband & I celebrated our 5th anniversary here and it was a great choice for a formal event. The exterior of the building doesn't reflect the interior- from the outside you can't tell what a classy and well done interior Nello's has. Comfortable seating booths, low lighting, beautifully set tables. Some of the highlights were the sourdough bread brought to our table, the complimentary hors dvours platter and the flower given to each woman at the end of the evening. My husband had a filet mignon and I tried a pasta dish-both cooked well and flavorful. It would be stunning if they were one day able to open a location with an outdoor seating area and Italian music! Overall we had a great experience and highly recommend. read more

We love their food. I love the raviolis, taste just Like my Nonies raviolis growing up in North Beach, SF. We went for my birthday and had the special dinner includes several courses ,with the raviolis .Then for dessert, we had the bananas flambe.It was fun and so good. waiter lit it up, and it was on fire. I got the video to remember it. Thank you, you are one of the most authentic Italian restaurants that are left here in California.Always so much fun and tip top service And We have been to Italy.... read more

This place is delicious! Omg, that Caesar salad table side with blue cheese! The escargot, delicious!!!! Eggplant Parm is hard to get right but they did not disappoint! And the service was awesome. The waiter gave us flowers at the end of our meal. Lasagna was delicious too! Everything tasted authentic and fresh! I recommend if you happen to be in Redding! This place offers so many extras and their service is detail oriented. read more

Nello's Place - Italian Near Me - Redding, California

I really don't see how this place stays in business or gets such good reviews. Food is not good at all. It must be a local thing? Can't figure it out. read more

On August 6 we took our very good friends to Nello's for dinner. Nello's is not a five star restaurant, here is why; The environment is much to dark, it makes you wonder how clean it is. We had to use the flashlights on our cell phones to read the menu. The service was terrible also. It took me several times before I caught the attention of a waiter, who then informed our waiter that we were ready to order. They served the antipasti without a serving utensil. The food is not my favorite either, except the calamari is fantastic. I probably will not go back. read more

After reading the Yelp reviews and seeing that Nello's has Cherries Jubilee, we went there last night. We had the "early bird" lasagna dinner, with wine, followed by the Cherries Jubilee for dessert. We were full by the time the dessert arrived, but it was as good as the same dessert served in the Eureka Inn Rib Room 20+ years ago when the Inn was thriving. I gave Nello's 4 stars because the lasagna was not baked as we were accustomed to having. Instead it was ladled into a bowl, then topped with too much cheese and then popped into a oven for a few minutes. Also, not enough red sauce - sorry, but sauces make the dish. The salad and dessert were 5-stars, but the lasagna wasn't. We'll be back, but will be having less food before having Cherries Jubilee for dessert. read more

Friendly ,fast service. Just got the spaghetti& salad. Salad seemed a little bitter and the spaghetti was a little soupy not a lot of flavorful taste, just good. A little pricey for a bowl .Probably won't be back to try anything else. Again very friendly staff. read more

Perfect meal. Veal, scampi, scallops. Perfect service. Excellent. The best Italian food in Northern California. Reserved ahead for a booth. I recommend this as it added to the wonderful atmosphere. read more

Very impressed! Came here w a large group. The food- fantastic! Service was just right, attentive but overly watchful. Loved the space too- romantic and tasteful. Can't wait to go back read more

Fantastic find!!! Chicken Marsala was perfection !!! I found it quite by accident and don't let the small little parking lot for you it's packed for a reason. Reservations are recommended I managed to get in at about 6 o'clock it was early and they had a table for us service was fantastic it has a bit of a history as a family owned restaurant. It's right next-door to a oriental massage parlor so at first I wasn't sure exactly what I was walking into but when I entered into the actual restaurant I was pleasantly surprised I will go back again the next time I'm in Redding. read more

Veal piccata was mostly gristle. Waiter said they got a "bad batch" of veal. Then take it off the menu. I mean it was awful. Appetizers, cannoli and salad was very good, boy oh boy was the veal piccata the pits. read more

Question to Bill D...just wondering what "better" Italian restaurants there are in Redding? Olive Garden? I mean, I've lived in Redding for over 40 years and the only other "Italian" (note I'm not using the word authentic) restaurant would be the big boxed olive. Nellos is a Iconic Redding restaurant that has withstood the test of time, and aside from Jack's and Lulu's is one of the oldest and finest restaurants Redding will ever have. Come in for the early bird special and try the Snapper piccata I've never had a bad experience with service/food/cleanliness and I've been coming here regularly for over 30 years. Rosa and Jim have done a fine job of taking over the family business..hats off to the two of you! read more

We had dinner here tonight, the food was bland, sauce was watered down, and our server ok, but all that helped us tonight lacked the charm and eye contact that is so important, especially in an Italian restaurant. P.S. I would never call that an antipasto. read more

Went there for Father's Day. My husband loved his steak Diane. All the food was great and the desert was delicious . Service by Patrick Blake was Devine. read more

This was such great service. Our waiter Patrick and his helper Sal, were excellent. Helpful polite and always smiling. They were on top of everything but not intrusive. We have not had service like this for so so long. We stumbles upon Nello's as we are from the Bay Area. Olive Garden had a long wait so ... we found this place. The food was really good too. We will definitely come back read more

I don't see all the hype in this place. Terrible salad of wilted lettuce olive oil and balsamic vinegar, bread was good but the butter was too hard to spread. My wife had the fettuccine Alfredo which was bland and I had the lasagna that was Also bland. The service was so slow we were there for an hour and a half, they then proceeded to lose my bank card. They did look for it but after a while I got impatient and gave them my number and they said they would call me when they found it. I called back the next day and asked to speak to a manager But the person on the phone insisted he could help I told him what I was calling for and he said we told you we would call when we found it. So I hung up the phone and canceled my card and ordered a new one. Thanks the unfortunate experience read more

Been in Redding for a month, I"ve had 2 dinners at Nello's. So far, this is the best restaurant in town. Pros: fine dining, white table cloth type restaurant. Table side prepared Caeser salad, that means the dressing is made at the table. Veal Parmesan fantastic. Filet was the best I've had in Reddiing, not the best I've ever had but for this town it's at the top. Eggplant very fresh, would order again. Full bar*. Cons: Full bar* but very small martinis. in a strip mall, limited parking. Owner does not treat the staff well, witnessed an interaction at the bar where it made me think less of the restaurant, can't miss him, he's the guy in a baseball hat and T-shirt....real classy. I'll be back, but the owner should stay home. read more

From the outside, you think you're walking into some sort of contraband Italian warehouse of sex toys (long dark shingles, giant swaths of Italian flag colors, old and vaguely criminal looking door, oddly packed parking lot with no other active businesses around). Once inside, you stumble around waiting for your eyes to adjust to the light, peering hopefully at the brightest spot in the place: the pyramid of booze at the bar. Suddenly the host is greeting you kindly, and the rest of the evening is a warm, comfortable and filling blur of romance, hearty reds, palate-pleasing and gut-busting comfort foods. The filet mignon was perfect, the sides were spectacular (minestrone, manicotti, cannelloni (my favorite), house salad with *real* homemade Italian dressing etc.) You really have to be careful with appetizers and side dishes, as you can easily eat your fill with just those. The waiters here know their business. I'm talking career waiters here. None of these "I just graduated college and realized I wasted my time so now I have this job and can be rude to you types." No sirees, these guys are legit. All professional, all charming but not sickeningly so, all biz. Extra star for mood, romance, character and the pink carnation given to all the women at the end of the meal. While no sex toys (that I could identify) were procured, the results were almost equally satisfying. read more

I've never reviewed Nello's? How can this be? I've used it as a foil to other places probably half-a-dozen times in past reviews. Nello's is old-school Italian all the way. Dimly lit interior, formally dressed waiters (what's a waitress?), big booths with cushy maroon naugahyde seating, white tablecloths and napkins, candles on the tables, and faux-fresco murals of Italian landscapes painted directly on the walls. The food is old-school, too. No light, healthy, Northern Italian fare here, my friends. This is rich, saucy, garlicky Guido food. The food is pretty darned good, but what really sets the place apart is the service. Teacher Lady and I sometimes go to Nello's just to be treated like "high rollers," as another reviewer, Rocky S., recently put it. It's a potent antidote to the routinely amateurish service that you often receive in other joints around town. Don't worry -- you don't have to dress up. The regulars here are often fresh off the golf course at Riverview G&CC, wearing their Tommy Bahama shirts and shorts, with sandals on their feet. As some have pointed out, Nello's is located in a strip mall on Bechelli. Others have characterized the neighborhood as "seedy," but if you're a glass-half-full kind of person, after you dine you and your adventurous date can get a couple's massage and table shower from the Asian massage parlor next door. read more

We were passing through Redding on the way to Seattle, and got a referral to Nellos from the Hampton Inn's front desk. I'm Italian heritage and didn't expect to find *fantastic* Italian food outside of the larger cities. Wow was I pleasantly surprised with Nellos. We shared a table-side mixed Caesar salad that was crisp, tangy, creamy with plenty of Parmesan and excellent flavorful croutons. We mopped up every last bit of the dressing with warm bread. An unexpected antipasto to clear the palette and our Entree was (we were sharing one, the staff brought it out on two plates) Chicken Marsala, another savory delight. Every bite was fantastic and the service was perfection. The portions were generous and we barely had room for a few bites of TIramisu - heavenly, the staff boxed it up for us for breakfast because it was too good to leave behind a fork-full. read more

I wouldn't call Nello's Place an Alternate Universe. It is reminiscent of your typical 1950's Italian mob joint. Don't try to read your menu until your eyes adjust to the dark room, especially if you arrive during when the sun is still bright outside. Don't pull out your damn smartphone to read the menu, this is the 1950's !!!! The meal started off sort of shaky. We were brought our antipasto and then the server disappeared without bringing us the 2 glasses of Chianti we ordered. He did finally show up and apologized profusely and brought us 1/2 of a carafe to compensate for the delay. Things approved after that. We had the rack of lamb for two and it was perfectly executed medium rare that we ordered. Sticking to the 50's it was accompanied with mint jelly. The included spumoni dish was hugh The next table ordered a Caesar salad which was prepared tableside expertly and correctly by the server. It was the best preparation of a Caesar as I have every seen and reviled one that I had at the Caesar Hotel in Tijuana years ago. Next visit it will be on my list to order. read more

Yelpers, you did not steer me wrong! My husband and I are on a road trip from Los Angeles, CA to Coeur d'Alene, ID and we spent the night in Redding, CA. We made a commitment not to eat at any chain restaurants on our trip, so we were looking for something local. I searched "dinner" in Redding, CA on Yelp, and Nello's was the first search result. The reviews were great so we decided to try it. Everything good thing we read was true - the service was fantastic, the food was delicious, the atmosphere was very 1960's Rat Pack. We had the house salad prepared at our table, the antipasto (try the tuna salad - it's delicious), the chicken parmesan (we split the entree and it was still more than we could eat!), and we split the cheesecake for dessert. I would have loved to try the bananas flambe or the cherries jubilee but it was just too much food! Maybe next time... Side note: we took a walk over the Sundial Bridge before dinner. It's a MUST DO if you are in Redding. Spectacular. read more

Truly a gem. I knew I would find a place better than Rivers. I can't begin to imagine how much money was spent on THAT restaurant. My last dinner in Redding was spent at Nello's. Service: Was very attentive. Although our server must've been new because he forgot to check up on us and overdressed the salad, which by the way was prepared table side and comes with shrimp! The last time I had a salad prepared table side was at the House of Prime Rib but that's another review. They could use a bit more lighting. I could barely read the small print on my menu and I have perfect 20/20 vision but that's not a big deal for me but maybe for others. I found it amusing that they offered an early bird special between 5-7pm. I think they should just call it happy hour. I figure our group would be dining with a bunch of senior citizens. Which would be fine with me but uncomfortable for some. However, when we arrived it had a steady clientele ranging from ages 25 to 60. Very diverse. I like that. Back to the food. Ok the early bird special was a mere $14.95 and you could select from 8 different dishes like fish, NY strip, and various pastas. It comes with choice of soup or salad and a cup of coffee at the end. That's INSANE! My steak was cooked to perfection and there were no complaints from our group about the food with the exception of the vegetable medley that accompanied each dish. Oh by the way you also get a small side of pasta. Overall very generous. I swear a setup like this would cost at least $35 in San Francisco and we would call it a bargain! I'd say if you didn't take advantage of the early bird special then the price would be on par with Rivers. However, if I had to choose between the two then I would rather go back to Nello's. PEOPLE OF REDDING RUN TO THIS PLACE! read more

Nellos is fabulous! A perfect romantic dinner! Enjoy the best service & the finest food. Love the Chicken Allegro the best! AHH! Delish! Yes! Eat at Nellos! You'll love it! read more

Nello's Place - Italian Near Me - Redding, California

Came here the other night with a few locals and had a delicious dinner! The atmosphere is sort of a mix between a typical Italian restaurant and a speak easy. Spacious yet it feels intimate, a bit dark, but in a nice way. Service is very attentive (at least for us it was). The four of us had caesar salad made table side (raw egg, lemon juice, anchovies, etc.) which was amaaazing. Yum. Appetizers were melon with prosciutto, and the antipasto that they brought to our table with bread. My husband and I split the eggplant parmigiani and liked it. Then after dinner we had Cafe Diablo, also prepared tableside. Seriously amazing. Seriously. If you've never had it, it's espresso with orange and lemon peel dotted with cloves, with some sugar, cinnamon sticks, bourbon and Grand Marnier. It's around $35 for 2 people, so it's a splurge for us, but well worth it. We would definitely return if we're ever in the area. read more

My experience at Nello's Place was amazing. If I could, I would rate this place more than five stars. I've never had Italian food that was made in such a way that it tasted so fresh and so good. The Spaghetti I ordered tasted so amazing that it filled me up within three bites, but I wanted more because I couldn't resist how tasty it was =P I would definitely come to this restaurant for more pasta! read more

Patrick best gave best service in town. Food was great and so many little touches made experience so awesome

Thanks to Yelp, I just enjoyed a great old-school Italian dinner at a place I never would have discovered on my own. Nello's Place is just as described, and from what I experienced, deserves all the high praise and marks you see noted here. I ordered the Chicken Marsala, which came with a nice antipasto plate and a beautiful house green salad which was prepared at the table. All said, an awesome meal, at a reasonable price, accompanied by outstanding service (thanks, Cam)! read more

Had dinner twice at Nello's this last week. I was in town and aside from Jack's Grill, the only other really good restaurant is Nello's. It's been that way for the last 20 years and there appears to be no change to that fact. If anything, the restaurant has gotten better. The owner has remodeled the interior and it looks great! The food as always, is excellent. Don't order pasta just because this is an Italian themed restaurant. Their seafood & Beef/veal is outstanding. Service continues to be superior and choices of fare are varied. For the record, I'll still say their Filet Bisteca Capricio, Alaskan Halibut & Scampi De La Casa are still the top dishes to select. The steak Diane is a good choice too. My wife orders that about every other time we visit. For dessert, pick the bananas flambe. It's very close to Bananas Foster, a New Orleans originated treat. Bananas, 151 proof rum, brown sugar & butter and vanilla ice cream - what's not to like? Oh, did I mention an excellent bar with an outstanding bartender named Al? Mark it down & enjoy. read more

We do a lot of traveling and stopping in towns between Portland, OR and Los Angeles, CA. On this particular trip, we were traveling from LA back home and stopped in Redding, CA for the night. We turned to Yelp for some good food and Nello's Place came up. It was a close walk away so we went. This restaurant is a gem, that local place that everyone loves, but few out-of-towners know about. But because of Yelp, we found some of the very best Italian food we've ever, EVER had. We loved the food here... highly recommend it! The waiter was great and they gave me a flower at the end of dinner. ...and since posting this review initially, we've been to Redding two more times and both have included dinner at Nello's. read more

I hadn't been to Nello's for some time when a girlfriend called and said we needed a night out. I was the first to arrive (quite out of character for me) and seated myself at the bar. The bartender obliged my water only request and then resumed his discussion of quantam physics vs. the theory of relativity. I was almost sad when my friends showed up. I so, so, enjoyed the tasty antipasto platter with yummy tuna, olives, and cheese. Definite old-school italian appetizer. My veal was tender, decadent, and made me happy and a little sad. Poor baby cow. No dessert, as I had a movie to catch. Overall a very enjoyable evening out. read more

Four stars, because i really only dine here once or twice a year. Great friendly and inviting environment. You walk inside to a dimmed, cozy room with candle-lit tables. On our last experience, I had a beef and cheese manicotti, filet mignon and spumoni for dessert. Let me tell you, it was amazing! By far my favorite meal here. I've been going to Nello's place now for six years and they are always busy. If you go on a weekend, reservations would be best. read more

Was kinda sketchy about this place when I walked in only because it seemed so dark but only because I came in from the BRIGHT Redding afternoon sun. My eyes adjusted fast and it was smooth sailing the rest of the experience! The servers were awesome! They were constantly checking on us without being intrusive and made sure our glasses were always filled (it's amazing how many places are NOT doing this) but I must admit it was slow when we went. That doesn't take away their great small town hospitality--A+ The food was great! I would tell you what we had but I can't pronounce or spell any of it. I also forgot how many courses come in a standard Italian meal because I was stuffed BEFORE my entree! This place is definitely worth a try if your out here. Casual formal or straight from the lake, I'm sure they've seen it all. read more

I would give 2.5 stars if I could, since the food was pretty good...anyway - Well, my husband and I decided to go here for our 5th anniversary dinner the other night. It was not bad...it was not good. Would I go back? Probably not. Unless it was someone else's idea and they were paying. RESERVATIONS: I didn't know how far in advance to make a reservation, so when we were making plans a few weeks ago I thought I would call and get our name down. Also, I didn't want to forget to call altogether. They took my reservation that far in advance no problem. On the day before we went I thought I would call to confirm that we were down since I had made the reservation so early. When I called to CONFIRM, the guy asked me name, what time, and for how many people. I had to explain - no I'm not making a new reservation, I just want to CONFIRM that you have us down. He said, ok, give me your name what time and for how many. Ok.... So when we get there, they have TWO reservations for us. One from the original reservation, and one from when I called to CONFIRM. Now this isn't like a big deal or anything, but it did start the evening off a little awkward. Plus, for hearing what a "nice" place this is supposed to be, I expected the service to be better than that. Speaking of the service... SERVICE: The guy who sat us was a little weird, I'm not going to lie. The restaurant was no where near full and he's looking around like he doesn't know where to seat us. Why don't you figure out where you're going to put us before you say "follow me"? And we had a reservation...it's not like you didn't know we were coming. Our server, again I'm not going to lie - weird. Here's our first interaction with out server: He asks us what he can get us to drink. My husband ordered a beer so he handed over his ID to the server. The server then proceeded to hand my husband's driver's license to the two women sitting in the table next to us! Ummmm, excuse me? Why are you doing that? What is the purpose? Why on earth do you think it's ok to give someone's ID to another customer? As a joke, you think it's funny? Something happened with those customer's earlier that made you think it was ok? Well, guess what - that's not ok. It was weird, awkward, a little rude, and uncalled for. Nice service. So then, the server finally comes back after awhile - with OUT our drinks - and asks the ladies.. "so, is he ok?" They reply yes...and he says ok, I'll go get your beer. And he's off again. He finally gets back with our drinks and leaves again. And then we sit and wait...and wait...and wait. And we have lots of questions about the menu, but our server never comes over so that we can ask. It took him awhile to finally come back. Luckily he was able to answer all our questions without hesitation so we could make our decision and order. If he left again, who knows when he would come back. FOOD: My husband had the steak Bistecca thing, whatever it was called, with minestrone soup and manicotti. The soup was a little on the salty side, but other than that he liked it. The manicotti was very good. And his steak was great. I had the linguine with clams with a salad. The salad was good. They should warn you that it comes with shrimp. I like shrimp, but I was not expecting that. The fresh blue cheese on top was a nice touch and a nice light dressing. My linguine and clams was ok. It was very garlic-y. The clams were pretty good, although there were several that I bit into that had something hard in them. A piece of shell, sand, something...I'm not sure. At the end of the meal our waiter and a couple of other guys brought us an eggplant with a candle in it to sing "Happy Anniversary". They then offered us a piece of chocolate cake, cheesecake, or tiramisu, on the house. But we were stuffed from dinner so we declined. But the dessert menu sounded great, so we went out and listened to some live music and headed back about an hour later or so to get some dessert. I had the zabagione with a decaf coffee. My husband had the cannoli with a cappachino. The zabagione was good - but it would have been better with some strawberries in it. But other than that it was delicious. The only other time I've had zabagione was in a great Italian restaurant in Little Italy in New York City. The one here was pretty darn good considering. The canolli were tasty. I only had a small bite, but my husband enjoyed it very much. His cup of cap took a long while getting to the table...not sure what the hold up was. OVERALL: The service was just strange. Everyone was nice enough I guess. But it was an awkward night. It felt like we were in some kind of twilight zone. All the wait staff was a bit "off". Their behavior was a little strange. It was as if they all lived inside of Nello's and didn't know what the real world was like... Like I said, the food was pretty good. But nothing I would oooh and aaah over. We probably won't go back. read more

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area so I'm very familiar with genuine Italian cuisine and unfortunately this restaurant does not offer such. That being said, I won t take the time to critique the food or the service except to say that I would most definitely not reccomemd it. I will say that if you do choose to eat here, please be very mindful of all the flambe (So 1980!)that takes place in this small area. The waitress for the table behind our table of twelve, nearly set my hair on fire. read more

With my wife recently in Redding. Hotel staff said this place was top notch. It did not disappoint!! What a find!! For sure the BEST Italian food we have had in a LONG time. One of the best meals in general we have had in a long time. Dimly lit for sure, almost had to have my wife read me the menu, feeling old at 47!! Once we got ordered, it got better as they kept bringing courses. Bread-very good! Minestrone-super good! Manicotti-devine! Spumoni-yummy! I had the Lamp chops, just amazing. Super flavor and texture! My wife had the eggplant parm-she loved it. Place is a bit pricey, but really, really worth it. Service was "spot on"! Oh yeah; had cheesecake too!! AMAZING. I/we HIGHLY advise you eat here when in the area. read more